Pick 7 – Cleveland Spiders
Selection: SP Scott Woodward
The Cleveland Spiders are standing at a crossroads this offseason. Key bats are potentially walking out the door as free agents, and management faces decisions that could shape the next few seasons. Some veterans will return, some won’t—but when you strip away the narratives and look at 1996 objectively, one truth stands out: pitching is the problem.
Bob Sebra led the staff in nearly every statistical category—and still managed a 4.91 ERA. Behind him, Bret Saberhagen and Ron Robinson offer flashes, but with questions looming about free agency and sustainability, the back end of this rotation is far from secure. Cleveland needs innings, and more importantly, it needs reliability.
Enter Scott Woodward.
Woodward isn’t the flashiest name in this draft, nor will he ever headline the highlight reel. But he brings exactly what the Spiders need: stability, durability, and professionalism. With two green pitches, good movement, solid stuff, and 15 stamina, Woodward projects as a true workhorse. He commands the strike zone, eats innings, and will reliably deliver 200 solid innings in a season. That may not win a Cy Young, and it may not retire his number, but in a league where pitching depth is hard to find, reliability is gold.
This is a team that cannot afford volatility. Woodward is safe. Woodward is steady. He’s the type of player you pencil in day one, slot behind your veteran rotation pieces, and trust to carry a heavy load without drama. The Spiders need workhorses, and Scott Woodward is the definition of one.
In a draft full of boom-or-bust potential, Cleveland’s pick is a reminder that sometimes the best value is consistency.